After the Giants game in 2011, I remember Pete Carroll commenting that there comes a turning point in every program where the team captures this self-belief and confidence that they will win. Once that happens, that team simply doesn't lose anymore. He described how that happened in his USC program as well. Once that light bulb turned on, Trojans simply didn't lose anymore. Of course teams drop games here and there, but winning sort of becomes a habit. He said the same thing about the Seahawks after the memorable Giants win (see link above). Of course, he was only partly correct because the team went ahead and dropped games at Browns, vs. Bengals and at Cowboys in a row. I remember feeling at the time that while Pete was right in his philosophy, he might have been a bit premature regarding the Seahawks. I was patiently waiting for the right time when that light bulb does turn on for us.

After the Chicago game this year, I felt that we have hit that turning point. The self-belief and self-confidence has soared and I feel our Seahawks now firmly believe that they can win. Anywhere. Against anyone.

Danny O'Neil had some similar stats this morning on the seattletimes blog.

I believe it was actually the loss to the Dolphins that marked the end. You could have gone one of two ways at that point... Back into the losers brackets, or say enough is enough. We won that game, only to lose it. Coupled with the Lions game in Detroit and a handful of other CLOSE games, the team has finally hit the wall of understanding that "losing sucks".

I posted about this in one of the other threads--how Kris Richard had gotten the pick and USC went on to win, and then Pete told the team they didn't have to lose again, and how I felt the Bears game was the same sort of game. The team believes now.

Last edited by sc85sis on Wed Dec 26, 2012 10:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

After the Giants game in 2011, I remember Pete Carroll commenting that there comes a turning point in every program where the team captures this self-belief and confidence that they will win. Once that happens, that team simply doesn't lose anymore. He described how that happened in his USC program as well. Once that light bulb turned on, Trojans simply didn't lose anymore. Of course teams drop games here and there, but winning sort of becomes a habit. He said the same thing about the Seahawks after the memorable Giants win (see link above). Of course, he was only partly correct because the team went ahead and dropped games at Browns, vs. Bengals and at Cowboys in a row. I remember feeling at the time that while Pete was right in his philosophy, he might have been a bit premature regarding the Seahawks. I was patiently waiting for the right time when that light bulb does turn on for us.

After the Chicago game this year, I felt that we have hit that turning point. The self-belief and self-confidence has soared and I feel our Seahawks now firmly believe that they can win. Anywhere. Against anyone.

Danny O'Neil had some similar stats this morning on the seattletimes blog.

Do you agree? Do you think it was the Chicago game that was the turning point? Or maybe the 49ers game this past weekend? Or even the Patriots game earlier?

Go 'Hawks.

Chicago game is exactly where RW carried the team twice, that changed the team and not only believe in him but also come out with an attitude that elevated everyone's game. In the past few games, offense has been playing with a sense of purpose and urgency and the defense is complimenting them very well. Anyone who misses a play or does not catch the ball gets very upset at themselves. All of them want to be the best by trying hard and RW has been feeding the ball across to everyone.

KARAVARUS wrote:I believe it was actually the loss to the Dolphins that marked the end. You could have gone one of two ways at that point... Back into the losers brackets, or say enough is enough. We won that game, only to lose it. Coupled with the Lions game in Detroit and a handful of other CLOSE games, the team has finally hit the wall of understanding that "losing sucks".

No more, say they...

This

RW moved the ball on Detroit and Miami as they wanted. We lost the games (especially Miami) due to limiations placed on the offense and conservative playcalling. Instead of attacking Miami for 60 minutes we purposely put us in a situation where the best outcome was a close game at the end. Instead of pounding the opponent both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball we played conservative slow game on purpose.

KARAVARUS wrote:I believe it was actually the loss to the Dolphins that marked the end. You could have gone one of two ways at that point... Back into the losers brackets, or say enough is enough. We won that game, only to lose it. Coupled with the Lions game in Detroit and a handful of other CLOSE games, the team has finally hit the wall of understanding that "losing sucks".

No more, say they...

You bet!, Pete has decided to pour it on, and put the score so out of reach, that there won't be a chance for anyone to make a comeback.Let the pundits bitch and moan about running up the score,,because the alternative is to let teams like the Phins, AND Lions hang around, you risk losing games that should'nt or need'nt have.

Opponents are always going to whine and complain about "running up the score." But the fact is this: you don't ever turn off the machine, no matter how far ahead you might be.

Look no further than the game my 49ers played against the Patriots before we got steamrolled by the Seahawks. Up 31-3, the defense went into a soft prevent mode and the offense vanished. Result? The Patriots hung 28 quick points on us to tie the game. Do you realize how close we were to losing that game? It made me sick.

Let that be a lesson to all Seahawk fans. Never "turn it off." Leave the engine racing at high speed. If you hurt some feelings in the process, oh well, that's life.

billbird2111 wrote:Opponents are always going to whine and complain about "running up the score." But the fact is this: you don't ever turn off the machine, no matter how far ahead you might be.

Look no further than the game my 49ers played against the Patriots before we got steamrolled by the Seahawks. Up 31-3, the defense went into a soft prevent mode and the offense vanished. Result? The Patriots hung 28 quick points on us to tie the game. Do you realize how close we were to losing that game? It made me sick.

Let that be a lesson to all Seahawk fans. Never "turn it off." Leave the engine racing at high speed. If you hurt some feelings in the process, oh well, that's life.

Exactly. This is the NFL. The best players in the world are out there for 60 minutes doing their best to pull off the win every time. When you've got a team down you have to go for the jugular and take them out or you risk letting them get that 2nd wind and come back and surprise you. Especially in the games coming up in a couple weeks. Every single on of those teams is one of the best teams in the NFL. There is no way you can risk letting any of them hang around or you go home.

Do you agree? Do you think it was the Chicago game that was the turning point? Or maybe the 49ers game this past weekend? Or even the Patriots game earlier?.

The Pats game was big for Wilson, but to win a Superbowl you HAVE to be able to win on the road, and more importantly beat good teams on the road.

Therefore IMO the Chicago game was indeed the turning point for this team. That game proved two things that were still big question marks;

1. Could the Hawks win a big meaningful road game with playoff implications?2. Could RW lead the offense late in the game with all of #1 going on?

Check, and check.

After Chicago, I think Pete probably turned to Bevel and told him to lift the lid. Enough of opening up the passing game only because we're 2 TD's behind and FORCED to do so. The recent statement by Pete following the Buffalo game was telling. Something to the effect of "Russell really hasn't changed much; he's just made believers out of us."

The Chicago game is where 31 other teams were put on notice that the best player on the Hawks was not a running back. Since then, we have run more than normal for more yards than normal. Becuase teams have to think about stopping Wilson first. If the don't, they will get FUBARed.